Myolie Wu’s Sacrifice As An Actress
To become an outstanding actress is difficult, and Myolie Wu (胡杏兒) made a large sacrifice to reach where she stands today. Many people’s first impression of Myolie came from her drama, To Grow With Love <肥田囍事>. As a Miss Hong Kong second runner-up, she was willing to gain 50 pounds and assume an unflattering body image. It took courage to look ugly in front of the camera, especially at a time when Myolie still lacked popularity.
The audience sees the fame public figures have, but the sweat and tears that lie behind the screen are never as prominent. No one could guarantee which drama would serve as a popularity boost for an actress. No one knows how many dramas it would take before an actress becomes popular.
Nonetheless, Myolie was willing to take a risk. It was easy for everyone to remember her from her overweight image in To Grow With Love, but her hard work eventually paid off. She is now one of the top four fadans at TVB, and has secured her spot as Best Actress. At this point, not many would continue to associate Myolie with her character back in 2006. Even if people still do, it just shows that Myolie had placed her best efforts in her career. Today, it is hard to say which is her best-known role, since many are classics.
Myolie has already reached the top, but she continues to strive forward and never gave up filming. With a packed schedule almost every day, she barely has time to rest. She is popular, but she does not seem like a big celebrity to the audience. Instead, Myolie gives off a vibe of familiarity and a sense of closeness. She is the kind of person who always appears cheerful with a big smile to greet the public.
Love for Cats
When she returns home after a tiring day of filming, Myolie finds joy in her cats. Proud owner of nine cats, Myolie is definitely a cat lover. The majority of her pets are stray cats that she adopted off the streets. Myolie constantly shares pictures of them on her Weibo blog.
Women resemble cats in the way that they need someone to care for them, but would always preserve their individuality. No matter how hard life turns out to be, they would always proudly hold up their chest. Loving cats so dearly, perhaps Myolie believes that cats have the best posture.
As long as there are stray cats loitering when the cast is filming, Myolie is sure to rush over and provide them with food and water. When shooting a magazine cover with a cat, Myolie suggested taking breaks, afraid that the cat would be tired. She clearly cares a lot about the furry animals.
Source: Pet Pie #132 via kuangaitvb.com
This article is written by Shirley for JayneStars.com.
If Myolie Wu was already popular in 2006, I don’t think she would take the risk of gaining 50 lbs. to act Fei Tin. It was like a gambling game for her, and she won the game. Her name was more recognized by Hong Kong audience, and TVB promoted her highly thereafter and gave her more 1st lead roles to act.
Hmm very good point.
I sense a cat lady in the making here. Does anyone else? XD
so from this article I get fat=ugly?
this is so wrong.
It’s the ugly truth that all have to accept >.<
Plus fat is not healthy too 😉
Yen, your comment just shows how uneducated and ignorant you are. Who says that the truth must be accepted that fat people are ugly. As said by Victoria, beauty is definitely not defined by size and that is exactly true. One person may have curves and can still beautiful compared to the one who doesn’t have any curves. So, if you say that fat people are ugly, are you trying to imply that all “SKINNY” people are the good looking ones? Lastly, define the word “FAT” before you say someone is unhealthy and ugly.
Yen, I guess you forget that one of the great beauties of ancient China,Yang Gui Fei was “fate” but was still considered beautiful. Therefore, how do you describe or define the word “fat”???
Beauty is definitely not defined by size. And it depends on one’s definition of fat. Obese is unhealthy but not necessarily “fat”.
It was after that series that I completely lost my respect for her as an artist.She cried apparently when her top secret pool scene was leaked, and it was her, so called fat in a cute bikini. And yet after she lost weight, she wore even less clothe plastered in every MRTs. It just means I am embarrassed at being fat. And this article itself doesn’t help with lines like her ugly role, etc. Was she ugly as Fei Tin? I thought she looked cute and pretty. She was plump but fat? And fat is ugly? That is the problem with the entire series, the mindset and my subsequent loss of respect for her. I find her hypocritical even if she never intended to be that way. Deep down there is a hypocrisy whether she likes it or not.
But my biggest issue with her is her acting. She has stopped improving since she became 1st lead. She has gotten worse.
As for sacrifice as an actress, wow, 50 pounds, what a sacrifice. I am sure she has since been duly compensated in many ways. Let’s talk about real sacrifice; not gaining 50 pounds, not filming seductive scenes, not filming rape scenes, etc but maybe the only sacrifice in TVB terms is jumping into the dirty sea and swimming around it for a few minutes.
Everything else is not sacrifice; they’re called work and the idea of work is you are asked to do something, you agree, you do it and you get paid.
Keyword; AGREE.
I wonder when did we all descend to idol worshipping for what is essentially mediocrity? I am still waiting for my old Myolie back but the waiting has been in vain.
But my biggest issue with her is her acting. She has stopped improving since she became 1st lead. She has gotten worse.
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Agree with you on the above point. I don’t see any improvement in Myolie’s acting ever since she became 1st lead, and she has been with TVB since 1999 …… 14 whole years.
Myolie’s face is prettier since 1999, but not her acting. Good luck to her in her forthcoming “Rosy Business 3”.
I don’t like Myolie’s acting. There is something that doesn’t sit well with me as if she was trying too hard and too calculating to make her acting fit into “precision” instead of letting herself roll into the character. I feel this way about Tavia too.
If there is one acting work from Myolie that I liked, it was her character in Golden Faith. She was more natural and raw back then and the performance doesn’t feel “calculated”.
This might be TVB’s established fadans problem in my eyes. Once they reached lead actress position, their performance start to get formulated and calculated to fit the needed expressions instead of doing character acting.
I was going to say that too ……. she did best in her character in “Golden Faith”. She was very natural and genuine in that character which won her the “Best Improved Female Artiste” award.
At least Myolie’s acting gives you some sort of reaction, whether it be good or bad. Tavia’s just… see, I can’t even say terrible, because her acting’s just been downright bland these past few years and I don’t know what to make of it. A complete waste of space.
Both frustrate me since we’ve all seen that they’re far more capable than that. Becoming a leading actress must be a curse (aside from the popularity and money).
Yeah that’s it. After she rise in rankings and becomes more mature in her appearance and demeanor, Myolie to me lost that genuine and sincere mode in her acting. As I said before, same goes to Tavia Yeung.
I liked her in Golden Faith too. I was only watching that series on and off since I wasn’t really enjoying it, but I tried to stick it out for Deric Wan and Gallen. Took me by surprise when I saw Myolie.
To Skinnymocha: I think Tavia suffers from almost the same syndrome as Myolie. They calculate or formulate their acting and the requirement to fit certain scenes or expressions too much. Sometimes after watching them I feel that okay, they cried, they got angry, but that’s it. Either it was OTT or it was bland, but not an attached engagement. It might not be totally their fault, it can be TVB’s weak script and directing too.
I love Myolie in Golden Faith and Doomed to Oblivion and any work before her leading roles. However my patience is running short, especially when she herself feels entitled to be honoured for performances which are not good at all. Myolie’s problem is same as Anne Hathaway. She is conscious of herself as Myolie. I don’t see someone else. And it is very measured, too measured.
Tavia’s problem is she is not a leading lady material forced into positions as leading lady. if there is a better secondary actress next to her, I don’t think I even look at her. And yet with certain actors in roles where she shares the limelight with other leading actresses she is ok. But her nose is getting to me.
@skinnymocha @funn limm agree that tavia is bland and is more suitable for supporting actress. at least myolie gives reaction from both fans and haters which means even people who don’tlike her also noticed her! but tavia blends into the background.
what are you guys crapping about. imo myolie is the best out of the 5 fadans and she has earned her place today deservingly with her hardwork and talent.
Acting just like looks is subjective. I think that is how many of them survive in the circle.
Did any male actors “agree” to take such “risky” roles (gaining 50 lbs)? Hmmm…
even jessica hsuan is afraid of the challenge. should appreciate myolie for her willingness to take the risk.
Jack Wu in ‘To Grow With Love’.
i started hating myolie after this series too, although for different reasons – her character was annoying plus her voice and facial expressions really grated on me. i actually really liked her in “golden faith” and also “survivor’s law” and thought she had loads of potential back then. too bad. however, after “ghetto justice”, i no longer dislike her so much. however, out of the five tvb fadans, i think her acting may be the second or third weakest.
I’ve never liked Myolie’s acting. Too over the top. Too exaggerated.
Myolie Wu is good in acting characters which involve a lot of arguing, such as “Wars of In-Laws”, and “Wars of In-Laws II”. Her acting was decent also in “A Chip Off the Old Block”, which also involved a lot of arguing.
She is also good in characters which require exaggerations.
Myolie Wu was worst in “Curse of the Royal Harem”, and she won the Best Actress Award. What a joke!
Myolie speaks too fast in her dialogues and it is no good for ancient drama series, especially the ones with a palace-setting. All the royal family members have to speak very slowly and elegantly.
I couldn’t agree more. She deserved the best actress award, but not for that series.
I agree and even if she did deserve best actress, it should before for a different role. Her acting in there was not good at all.
I definitely think Myolie is one of the best actresses at TVB. I really enjoy watching her in series. I believe she’s said before that she likes cat because her personality is more cat-like in which she’s slow to open up to other people.
Every artiste has to make sacrifices by being an artiste, not only Myolie Wu. Their returns over sacrifices always get paid off easily …… with money, fame, wealth, popularity, etc. and etc.
That is why almost every human being wants to be an artiste, especially in Hong Kong.
Well, I think myolie is one of a good actress in tvb. She has been working very hard throughout the years. she is a very capable person. her acting is good especially curse of the royal harem. she deserves the best actress award title in 2011. if you guys think she’s not good in acting then why does 26 or more artist voted for her in getting the award??
You should read the comments on TVB Forum or other websites after Myolie Wu won the Best Actress Award at TVB Anniversary Awards Ceremony. 9 out of 10 comments were complaining about the UNFAIR results. The votes were not cast by 26 or more artistes. It was mainly decided by TVB Senior Management as they needed a new big sister for their new fadans after the departure of Charmaine Sheh, and Myolie was the most senior one as per her length of service (not her acting ability).
Honestly to be fair, since venting in the internet becomes mainstream it’s hard to get 10/10 positive reactions to any awards anymore. Just like last year’s HKFA#32, there are lots of complaints about Miriam Yeung and Dada Chen winning Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, and there are many disagreements about Cold War hogging the awards too.
Myolie Wu is successful in her acting career not because of her acting talents or abilities. It is because of her hard work and absolute obedience. However, hard work does not get an artiste to excel in her acting unfortunately. She has to learn more how to act by seeing more movies or drama series, be more observant of other artistes’ acting, and do some research on her future characters.
Myolie can act. Ppl saying that she is OTT, but I find in comedies, her OTT way is suitable for her characters. Myolie isn’t annoying to watch to me, even with the OTT acting :D. At least she dared to try.
I really liked her in A Chip Off the Old Block.
Yeah I like her OTT way in ACOTOB, too. Eyes can talk.
Agree. Myolie can act comedies but of her over-exaggerated facial expressions and the way she speaks her dialogues, but she is no good for other types of drama series.
She’s ok… she just needs to improve whatever is left from her singing career that txb force her
lol i thought fox’s the only one who uses txb
Myolie’s acting technique is the same as Tavia’s. Same old acting, same old facial expression, same old monkey face in every single series, be it modern or ancient. And i also feel like she exaggerates too much, feels really fake and forced.
The thing is Myolie thought she had a good chance of winning best actress for that fat series she was in. So that’s why she signed up for it. But Charmaine had the better performance that year and blew her muffin top out.
I feel Charmaine is the same as well, except at different categories. Myolie was excellent falling to mediocre. Tavia was good to good, no change really. Charmaine was horrendous to passable to mediocre. I never thought she was great.
Do you think Linda Chung is better than Charmaine Sheh? I know Linda is your favourite actress.
Linda Chung’s roles are very limited (next door girl) while Charmaine Sheh’s roles are very broad, tragic, grand and classy (such as princess), action (though I am not crazy about it), comedic, etc. …….. ancient and modern. Charmaine may not be an excellent actress, but she is a lot better than any of the current fadans. Of course, if you compare her with Sheren Tang, Ada Choi, Esther Kwan, she is still not as good.
1. She takes on a broader range of roles, but does she excel at any? I’m not sure how TVB works, but does she handpick these roles herself, or is she the default choice on account of being the #1 sister?
2. Being the best of the current crop isn’t really saying much…
Anyway, I’m with Funn on this one; I, too, find her mediocre. But she’s capable of leading, I suppose.
9 CATS!?… isn’t that a bit excessive?
I think TVB has stopped being about acting for a long time. It’s more of a popularity contest. If you’re pretty, young, thin, if you appear pure and innocent, if the public happens to like you, then you can be upgraded to fadan, regardless of your acting abilities. I think Myolia and Tavia are ok in terms of their acting, just like Charmaine Sheh and Jessica Hsuan and Kenix Kwok and Maggie Cheung and Ada Choi etc are all just ok. But what else is new and why does anyone expect anything different?
No, I don’t agree.
Charmaine Sheh is the best actress in the new generation, and Ada Choi and Maggie Cheung are better than the other ones in her generation.
The latter four are just okay? Lol
“She is now one of the top four fadans at TVB”
Which four are the article referring to? I’ve always thought there were 5, so who have they kicked out?
Tavia yeung
Linda Chung
Myolie Wu
Kate Tsui
….. i guess you put Fala Chen in there?
fala left out
sorry to say none of those five is my favor…yea..they all work hard in some point!
Guess they left her out on purpose because there’s reports that states that she’s not going to renew her TVB contracts when it ends. And I believe it’s ending soon.
People who love cats can have a whole houseful of them and don’t find that excessive! As for me I don’t even want to have one cat in my house.
Truthfully, I’ve liked myolie for a long time now for her comical expressions, her loveable nature and OTT performances. I like her more because it seems to me that it’s her personality like a girl’s girl you just love hanging with. I find her performances of late are less than desirable but I think she has lost that spark, or drive. I mean, in the past year she has had a tumultuous one so I can understand it would affect her mood and work. All the same, I love myolie.
Oh and the drastic weight loss after the show TGWL, was due to endorsement deal that the company chose to plaster absolutely everywhere. I don’t think she intended to come across superficial I believe it’s just part of today’s culture. I don’t agree with it but you must admit society views overweight ppl less desirably. It should not be this way but in HK it’s all about looks and it’s a shame.
Besides looks, another important reason obesity is less desirable is … “health”. Studies have shown direct links between obesity and health risks (cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.).
Hmm, first thing come to mind when think of ppl with cat (cats somemore) tends to be smelly.
lol! One or two cats as pets are ok, but 9 sharing the same space? Now that would drive me nuts.
myolie has a large house and always make sure her house is clean. it’s ok to live with many animals as long as you are hygienic!
personally, i find dogs smellier. cat poop smells rancid, but they don’t really stink themselves. dogs have a distinct odour, whether they are clean or not.
Here’s another important problem …
How a Cat-Borne Parasite Infects Humans …
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/01/220113-sneaky-cat-parasite-takes-over-human-brains-science/
yay a cat person:) Im a cat person myself too. I follow Myolie on Weibo and she often post pictures of her cats, they all look clean, healthy and happy. Good for her for taking in cats!!
hmm, it was previously reported she gained 30lbs for the role, not 50, and that she weighed 140lbs during filming.
Regarding Myolie Wu’s weight …
http://www.scmp.com/article/591816/i-got-back-shape-naturally-image-heroine-myolie-wu-insists
Myolie is about 5’7″ and weighs only about 110 lbs?!?!? I’m not sure how actors/actresses stay so slim. Do they eat only one peanut per meal? 🙂
I think Myolie is a much better singer than actress. Honestly, she has the best voice out of the tvb fadans nowadays. On the other hand, I don’t like her acting at all. In comedies, she’s not that funny. In tragedies, she’s not that serious. There’s just something about her expressions that seem like she’s not natural. All in all, her acting looks like she’s acting.
Really nice of Myolie to take in all those stray cats. Regarding her acting, I agree with the criticisms here. I loved Myolie when she first started acting, there was energy and passion and you could tell she really enjoyed acting for acting’s sake. Now I don’t see that anymore. Everything just seems methodical and trying to hard. That extra spark she had when she first joined the industry that promised talent and growth is gone. Now, I don’t like watching her anymore.
same here! I used to like her in the early years esp in Triumph in the Skies. she was all enthusiastic and full of spirit. but these qualities slowly dying down as the years go by. her acting becomes dull and somewhat not entertaining anymore. whatever genre the tv series she filmed, I couldn’t really tell apart the roles she played. on-screen, she continues to be Myolie, not the character she’s portraying.
People always is uncomfortable! !!!!! When one act softly it said they don’t know how to act. Then if ghe actress do more face or exaggerated more, they call exaggeration or not good as an actress. So what they want, not all act like the same way.
If some act like someone that’s call copy or what ever. What they WANT!!!!!!.
And one more thing. If “YOU” ARE REALLY MYOLIE’S FANS you will support her role or as a person or actress. You can say some comment to her that she can get it and improve. But no like other always criticisms all her hard work, just because you don’t like her or don’t want to saw her drama.
Some people only care about the actual acting, and not favouritism. Personally I only go for acting, not for personalities unless the artistes are really bad.
We watch them because of their acting in a drama series, not their real lives.
Hard workers don’t always get what they put in, especially artistes. There are many artistes who have worked hard all their lives in entertainment industries, but they can barely maintain their basic livings. Successful artistes need to have some luck, good timing, good connections, and maybe some acting talents. Of course if they work hard, they may be able to move up a bit faster.
There are two types of fans: idols fans who would support their idols no matter if they are good (acting wise) or not, and fans who care more about acting.
Omg.. She’s a crazy cat lady! lol
Yeah, I’m not sure how Myolie’s potential future partners will view having to deal with all those cats (and counting).
I love Myolie to bits, how she works hard and all. I love her acting tho, it isn’t boring and she’s a sweet lady, someone who is very loving. She’s obedient too. I see artistes as ppl not only onscreen but also offscreen which is why I love Myolie and Linda:)